Terror knows no boundaries…..
Taylor had never known terror until she knew David, at least not that she could remember……..Now, with a rope around her neck, her hands tied behind her back and balanced on a chair she must make a choice. Her decision will have dire consequences if she chooses wrong…..
“David I beg you, please stop this, take me down. I don’t want to die!” I begged him. Could he really be so cold and let this happen to me? I wanted to put my feet down flat so bad. The arch of my feet shot pain up my legs. How long would he drag this out? How long would I endure this torment before the chair was kicked out from under me? Would he actually do that, kick the chair? He would probably let me hang there until I was so exhausted that I fell. My sense of reality fled. I could have been hanging from a flagpole high up off the ground. I would never go near the edge again. My mind was racing trying to figure what he meant by getting myself down.
“You have the power to stop this. Do you remember the rules?” He asked calmly. The rules? How could I think about those when it took everything I had just to keep breathing? The rules. What were they? Oh, I had to trust him not to hurt me or allow me to be hurt while I was restrained. The rules contradicted the situation I was currently in. How could the rules possibly help me? One wrong move and I would get hurt. It didn’t matter how fast he is the rope could snap my neck in a split second. He couldn’t be that fast, especially when it sounded like he was on the other side of the room.
“What are you talking about?” I gasped for breath as I asked. Maybe he would just tell me how to get out of this since he was obviously not going to get me down.
“Do you trust me to follow the rules?” He asked in that disembodied voice. I tried to concentrate. The rules. I still didn’t understand how they could help.
“I believe you will,” I said not really believing he would. At least I had stopped crying. I was still trembling though.
“Then step off of the chair,” he stated flatly.
Breaking
Taylor
Volume One of The Taylor Saga
E.F. Turner
Breaking Taylor
Breaking Taylor
Evelyn Turner
Copyright 2010 by Evelyn Turner
Smashwords Edition
E.F. Turner
Copyright © 2010 Evelyn F. Turner
All rights reserved.
ISBN:
ISBN-13:
DEDICATION
This book was written for myself first and foremost, there are times that something haunts you so deeply you must give a voice to it, and for my children who I better not catch reading it until they are grown!
It is also for the readers. Without you there would be no reason for writing.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.
This book is for sale to adult audiences only. It contains substantially sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which may be considered offensive to some readers.
Copyright © 2010 by Evelyn Faye Turner
All rights reserved, which includes the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever except as provided by the U.S. Copyright Law.
Author’s Note
I would like to thank everyone who has been following this saga faithfully and providing me comments on how to improve it. I have listened and am still making little changes that you, the readers, have suggested. This release is the second edition and hopefully the final one before I release the hard back collector’s series.
You have been patient with me as I penned this saga for you. The first edition had numerous errors, glitches and unanswered questions. I hope in these second editions that I have revised them to address these issues satisfactorily. Although many of the questions shall not be answered in this specific book, in the course of this saga all shall be revealed.
Many short stories have also spun from this saga. Each has been published for your enjoyment in ebook form. Once this saga is complete I will place all of the short stories into a collection and print them in paperback as a complete collection. I will place them in chronological order as well.
As with any work I publish I encourage the readers to watch for my goofs and let me know about them. Yes, some I do deliberately, but some are in need of correction. I always love hearing from readers and make it a point to reply to each one personally. I look forward to hearing from all of my readers and hearing suggestions you may have for future stories!
E.F. Turner
Chapter 1
Phillip is dead, at least I think he is. They shot at him, it looked like they hit him. I was afraid they would see me so I ran. I can hear them looking for me. They’re screaming my name. I’m so scared. I don’t want them to find me. I don’t want to go back. Phillip may have died trying to get me out and I can’t let it be for nothing. I have to find a way to safety. The woods are cold and the gown I have on is dirty and torn. I have no shoes and the sticks are hurting my feet. I had soft slippers on but the running has torn them to shreds. I discarded them what seems like hours ago. I’ve found a place to rest for a while. It looks like a cave, sort of, but not deep. It’s below a large rock and well hidden by the brush. They won’t be able to see me if they come by here. I am so tired. My legs are scraped and bleeding. My feet are split and I’m so cold. I don’t even know what month it is. There are no leaves on the trees. The only thing that’s green is the pine trees.
Here they come. I can hear their feet pounding the ground. Oh God please don’t let them find me! I pull back into the crevice as far as I can and hold my breath. I see the guns. I can see their breath on the air. Tears stream down my face. I put my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming. They stop. There are two of them. David and Lucas. David is very menacing. His size alone is enough to scare someone. Lucas is smaller and almost childlike. He has an air of innocence about him, as if he might have a learning disorder or something similar to it.
“Taaaaaayyyyllllllooooorrrrr,” David screams as if expecting me to answer. “We will find you. There’s no way out of this compound. Why don’t you stop this bullshit! I swear when I find you Chris will be the last thing you need to worry about,” he stomps out his cigarette angrily. “Stupid bitch. She’s more trouble than she’s worth.”
“Yeah this is a pain,” Lucas whines. He was nice to me when no one was watching him. If he was alone I might have a chance to get him to help me. But David would never let that happen. “What are you going to do to her when you find her?” He asked as he shuffled his feet in the pine needles.
I can’t see their faces, but I know David is pissed. He can be violent and he terrifies me. How did I ever get into this mess? Why did I allow Phillip to get involved? Tears streamed down my face. I silently prayed that Phillip is alive. A pebble shifts and rolls down the embankment. They look towards it. I tremble, praying that they don’t see me.
“I hate the woods. Animals always moving around. Oh Taylor, it gets real cold out here at night,” David calls, he almost sounds happy. They turned and walked away. “I will find you and when I do you will pay for all of this trouble.”
“David, shhhh. I hear something,” Lucas stopped and looked back toward the rock. David was looking too.
I could almost look them right in the eyes. I dared not even breathe if I did surely they would see me. The way they were looking I wondered if they could they see me. Were they going to leave me there just to hunt me down when I came out? I wish I could stop trembling.
“Just a rat or something,” David said with disgust. He stomped away calling my name like he was calling a disobedient child.
I decided to try and rest a while. I caught my breath and closed my eyes, but all I saw was Phillip and the blood. I cried.
“RUN TAYLOR!” Phillip yelled as we ran away from that house. “Get to the gate,” he had that British accent that was so sexy. He was so kind to me, all he tried to do was help me and now he might be dead. Tears flowed and would not stop. I had only known him for a month or so. I couldn’t help remembering how I met him. That too was an adventure through hell. I must have fallen asleep because I recalled that day vividly.
*****************************
Chris had been nicer, trying to make me love him. He was not bad looking, quite the opposite. He was strikingly handsome. Any woman would have loved to be with him. Any woman but me. I did not choose to be here. Chris with his perfect face, soft, light brown hair, smooth skin, white teeth and killer smile had brought me here. His eyes were the only thing that betrayed his speech. I could see the evil in his eyes the moment he first spoke to me. Those sparkling ocean blue eyes could charm a woman across the room. Chris was so good to me when we were young, most of the time anyway. Chris treated me like a queen when we dated. He lavished me with gifts, took me to dances, parties and just about everywhere he went. I used to think we would be together forever, until he left for school and never came back. What changed? What had made Chris so violent to me now, after his absence for so long?
I don’t know how long I’ve been in that house. I only know that each and every minute has been a living hell. The last couple of weeks Chris had been treating me better, but I was still his captive with no choices of my own. When he took me it was summer and so beautiful outside. Now it must be winter. But how many have passed since I have been locked up in that house? A few weeks ago, a month? I have no real concept of time anymore. I haven’t even seen a television in I don’t know how long. A few weeks ago Chris thought it was time to allow me outside for a while. He never makes mistakes. I know that. But at the time all I could see was freedom right in front of me. The phone rang and he went inside to answer it. I was alone. I walked to the edge of the garden then ran as fast as I could. No one followed me. I never saw the cameras.
The gown I was wearing was light and trailed behind me as I ran. I turned left and right not knowing which direction I should go. Still I could not hear anyone following me. I should have known then there was no way out, but hope is a powerful thing. After what seemed like hours I came to a wall. It was very tall, made of red brick. I couldn’t climb it so I followed it until it led to a fence. I had to stop for a moment because I was out of breath. My chest was burning. My gown was in shreds from running through the brush. It used to be white. I slowly walked along the fence. The fence was chain link and seemed to be ten feet tall. There was sharp wire at the top of it. The kind that could slice you to ribbons if you tried to get through it so climbing was out. There was a faint humming noise as I got closer to the fence. It was electric I realized as I almost touched the fence for support. I fell to the ground. Freedom so close but so unattainable.
I listened. No voices, no feet running. Why weren’t they chasing me? I began following the fence again. I stayed at the edge of the woods. I walked for what seemed miles. I came to a slope and waited at the top. I saw a dirt road at the bottom, and a gate. Hope pounded in my chest again driving me down the slope to the gate. It was black iron and very tall. It must have had an electric lock because there was no visible lock. The top of the iron was pointed like a spear. There was nothing to hold on to so I couldn’t climb it. There was a little piece of metal lying on the road. I threw it at the gate. No sparks. I heard something. It sounded like a car. I froze. I didn’t know whether to hide or scream. The car slowed as it came around a corner into view. I could not believe my eyes – it was a police car! I ran to the gate and began screaming.
“Help me! Please help me! Stop, help me!” I screamed as loud as I could. The car stopped at the gate. The officer was a young man. He ran to the gate.
“Are you all right ma’am?” He looked confused. “My name’s Ben. What’s wrong?” He had perfect posture, rugged good looks and seemed sincere.
“Please help me,” I cried as I fell down against the gate. “Please get me out of here before he finds me,” I pleaded.
“Who finds you? What’s wrong?” Ben asked while looking over the gate trying to find a way to open it.
I was frantic, paranoid and exhausted. “Chris. If he finds me he’ll lock me back in that room. Please help me, get me out of here. Take me home,” I said almost in defeat. I grabbed the gate shaking it. “He’ll hurt me! Please help me,” I pleaded.
“Ok ma’am. I’ll get you out of here. What’s your name?” Ben asked. He went to the intercom and pressed the button. I was terrified. Chris would know where I was. He would never open the gate. Ben put a finger to his lips to shush me as David spoke on the intercom.
“Who’s there?” David asked. I realized then that the driveway camera must not be working and they couldn’t see me. Hope reared its head again.
“Good afternoon sir. We received a call that a dog was howling near your gate. I pulled up and there’s a dead coyote stuck in the gate. If you’ll unlock it I’ll remove it for you,” Ben said sounding very official.
David did not respond. But there was an electric whine then a click and the gate began to open. I ran through it to the officer. He caught me as I was about to fall. I realized then that he was not alone. There was a man in the back seat, a very bad looking man.
“Thank you, thank you. Please take me away from here before they figure it out,” I was frantic. The guy in the back seat smiled at me. I felt a shiver go up my spine.
“Ma’am,” he began.
“Taylor, my name is Taylor,” I said quickly as Ben walked me around to the passenger side.
“Taylor, I’m transporting a prisoner. You’ll need to sit in the front,” he opened the door and I scrambled into the front seat. He walked around the car and climbed into the driver side. The car pulled away from the gate but I still could not feel relieved. Why hadn’t they followed me?
“Miss, um, Taylor, I have to make a stop up the road a piece. It may not be safe. I’d feel better if you’d hide on the floorboard when we turn into the driveway,” his face was so serious.
“Hey I know who you are,” the tattooed man in the backseat smiled.
“Shut up Rico,” Ben shouted. “I don’t mean to scare you, but I have to drop him off somewhere and it might be better if you weren’t visible.”
“Ok,” I said slowly, not knowing what I had gotten myself into, but believing it had to be better than what I had just gotten out of. “Just tell me when. I won’t be any trouble at all. I can’t thank you enough,” I looked cautiously at Ben then at the man in the backseat.
“It’ll be a while. It’s several miles from here. Not many homes out this way,” Ben was sweating. “I just have to drop him off then I can get you to the station. What happened back there? Why were you running?” Ben inquired as he drove slowly on the dirt and gravel road.
“I escaped. Chris has held me captive for a long time. I finally escaped,” I stammered. “Do you have some water?” My mouth was so dry.
“Sure,” Ben handed me a bottle of water and I took a long drink before setting it down. He waited for me to speak again.
“She’s the Internet queen,” Rico laughed. “Yeah I know all about you. Your website’s the best,” Rico smirked and leaned into the wire partition. “I watch you every day. I love your show,” he smiled and leaned back in his seat.
“Rico shut the hell up! Taylor, what’s he talking about?” Ben pulled to the side of the road. He was looking at me very concerned. Tears were streaming down my face. I didn’t realize so many people might have seen that site. I was ashamed, scared and angry at the same time.
“Chris, he had cameras, feeding everything to the Internet,” I could barely speak. I couldn’t even look him in the eyes. “I was raped, many times. They were very cruel to me,” it was all I could say.
“I’m so sorry,” Ben had tears in his eyes. “I’ve only been a cop for about a year now. I’ve never dealt with anything like this. I have to drop Rico off then I’ll get you to safety,” he pulled the car out. “Now would be a good time to hide, ok. This shouldn’t take too long.”
I crawled onto the floor and curled into the tightest ball I could. I did not know why he didn’t want them to see me, but at the moment I wasn’t going to question him. Why did I have this creeping fear that Rico was going to hurt me?
CHAPTER 2
***********************************
A branch snapped causing me to jump. How long had I dozed? They were coming again. I was colder than I had been before and it looked like I had been here all night. The first light of day was breaking on the horizon. By the grace of God I had not frozen to death. I was shivering from the cold. My hands and feet were numb. My nose was running and I tried not to sniffle when I breathed. Had I really been out here all night or was this mountain lighting playing tricks with me? What had happened to my concept of time? I watched as they approached, being careful to stay quiet and hidden.
It was David and Lucas again. They were right in front of me. God please don’t let them look towards me. I prayed. They were smoking and cussing. I was beginning to believe I would never find Phillip’s gate. I had given up on the creek idea a long time ago. I had followed it for what seemed like miles and never saw any sign of a fence or drainpipe. Sometimes it had felt like I had run in circles, never making any real progress. I had no idea where I was in relation to the house or fence. I wasn’t even sure anymore which way was east or west. My sense of direction had disappeared several hours ago leaving me to wander in this wilderness lost and alone.
“That bitch has to be around here somewhere. The footprints stopped just over there,” David said as he pointed to where I had stopped and seen the crevice. David walked over there and stood. “Why did she stop here? Where did she go from here? She didn’t just disappear!” He was looking around.
“She must be getting cold. We’ll find her and she’ll be glad that she won’t freeze to death out here,” Lucas said quietly. “Why are you always so mean to her, David?” Lucas had the curiosity of a child and the innocence as well. I wish I had been nicer to him. It wasn’t his fault that all of this had happened. I’m sure if he could have he would have let me go a long time ago. His face was red from the cold and his breath looked like fog coming out of his mouth.
Ice went down my spine when I saw David look right at me. I realized then the mistake I had made. I could see their breath and they could see mine. He whispered to Lucas and they walked away. Had he really seen me or was I imagining it? I had to run, to get out of this area quickly. I watched as David and Lucas walked away and decided when I came down I would go in the opposite direction.
I waited several minutes then climbed out as quietly as I could. I eased down the hill back toward the creek and prepared to run. I didn’t see or hear them anywhere so I took a chance. There was a large tree at the end of the embankment. I had just passed the tree. I was clearing the bank and David’s arm grabbed me around the neck. I knew it was David because of the sheer size of the arm. He was strong, so much so that I knew he must exhibit extraordinary control over it. I felt the gun press hard by my ear. I froze.
“You stupid bitch! I’ve been out in this cold all night chasing you down for what?” David screamed at me. “Don’t you so much as blink or I’ll blow your head off! I don’t give a damn about Chris and what he wants. This is between you and me,” he tightened his arm around my neck and all I could do was gasp. My hands were on his arm trying to pull it loose but it was a futile effort. I kicked at him. I knew he wouldn’t shoot me, or at least I prayed he wouldn’t.
“Let me go,” I begged as I gasped for air. “I can’t breath! Chris will kill you if you hurt me,” I pleaded. It was so cold out here my fingers were like ice and I couldn’t grab his arm very well. I struggled as hard as I could.
“Chris won’t do shit. My orders are to bring you back,” I could actually hear him smile when he said, “dead or alive.” He flung me to the ground and pointed the gun at my head. He was grinning from ear to ear. I was mortified. Why would Chris tell him that? Did he really say it or was David just trying to scare me? Either way it worked.
“David, please,” I was crying, begging. I didn’t want to die. I turned over onto my back and began scooting away from him in defense. “David, please don’t do this. You don’t want to hurt me.”
He reached down and grabbed me by the hair and jerked me to my feet. I screamed. I struggled against him and he slung me forward. I fell down again. This time I did not move. I just lay there trembling. David stood over me like a sentry guarding a trophy. His eyes filled with anger and those green flecks glistening with a light of their own.
“You don’t know how much I do want to kill you. Watching you suffer is much more enjoyable, so no I’m not going to kill you. Although when I’m done with you you might wish you were dead,” David spat as he kneeled over me. He forced me to turn over then slapped my face hard. My lip was bleeding. I pushed against him as he unfastened his belt. He had put the gun to his side. I reached for it and he slapped me again. “Do you take me for a fool like Randy? Reach for that gun again and I’ll do more than split your lip,” with that he took me. I screamed and I heard Lucas pleading with David to stop. David had grabbed my wrists and anchored them with his left hand hard above my head; his right hand was feeling my breasts. I begged him to stop. I cried and when he was done all I could do was lay there.
“Get up bitch,” David ordered as he picked up the gun.
“David, why did you do that? You didn’t have to hurt her!” Lucas exclaimed. David ignored him and grabbed my hair jerking me to my feet. “Stop it David!” Lucas pushed him. David let go of me and shot Lucas right between the eyes. It was so fast that by the time I screamed Lucas was falling down. I tried to back away. The look that David gave me said he was not going to tolerate my fighting any longer. I had never seen someone as comfortable with a gun as David. When he shot Lucas he didn’t hesitate or flinch. His confidence was amazing and terrifying.
“No, please let me go, don’t, oh God please David don’t do this!” I begged as he grabbed my arm and began dragging me back to the house. “David, please stop you’re hurting me. David please don’t do this,” I continued to plead with him.
He stopped dead. He flung me around to face him. I was terrified. I had never seen him like that. He tightened his grip on my arm and I winced. “This hurts?” He sneered, and tightened even more.
“Yes David it hurts,” I twisted against him. He pulled me so hard I thought my arm would snap in half. I looked him right in the eyes, and then I knew, I might not make it to the house if I didn’t cooperate.
“You’re such a pain in the ass. Chris always laying down rules about you. Well I’ll tell you this it will be different this time. Chris doesn’t run this show anymore,” with that he shoved me forward and we were moving again. I didn’t fight him. I was afraid he would kill me. The brush tore at my arms and legs making them bleed again. I stumbled and would have fallen if he had not had my arm.
“Watch where you’re walking bitch,” he grunted and shoved me forward again.
“David. Can we please slow down a little my feet hurt I can barely walk,” I asked quietly.
“Should’ve thought about that before you took off without shoes,” I could see the house. I never realized just how big it was until now. It was at least three stories. I know it had a huge basement because that’s where my room was. How long will it be before I see sunlight again? Will I ever see it again I wondered as we finally went inside. I heard the lock engaging behind me as David flung me like a rag doll to the floor.
“Chris, I found her,” David shouted as he stuck his gun in the back of his pants and poured himself a drink. I didn’t dare move but I tried to watch through the mess that was my hair. I could feel the heat and it felt good not to be cold anymore. The blood had dried on my lip and there were needles of pain in my fingers and feet. David walked over to me and kicked me in the stomach. “Get up. Get to your feet bitch.”
I rolled in pain but he twisted his hand in my hair, jerking me to my feet before I could protest. Chris was standing in the doorway. His smug smile taunting my escape attempt. As he calmly walked over to me his ice blue eyes seemed happy to see me. I didn’t move or speak.
“Well, had a little excitement didn’t we?” Chris smiled as he stopped directly in front of me. “Are you ready to behave yourself now?” He caressed my face with his hand. I flinched away and David pulled my hair harder.
“Let go of me David!” I spit as I tried to free my hair from his hand. “I hate you!” I yelled at Chris. David let me go and I almost fell from the sudden freedom of movement. “You killed an innocent man! Why? Just to hurt me?” I screamed at Chris. “I will NEVER love you. I would rather die than love you!” I was furious at him. I hit him with my fists as hard as I could and he laughed at me. “Phillip is dead and all you do is laugh?” I fell to my knees crying.
“Taylor. Phillip is not dead,” Chris stated. I dared not believe him. I saw David shoot Phillip. I stared at him waiting for him to speak. “I want you to get cleaned up then we’ll talk,” Chris reached down to help me up. I jerked away.
“Tell me about Phillip. I SAW him get shot. I saw the blood. I saw,” Chris put a finger to my lips.
“Shhhh. I know what you thought you saw. Let’s get you downstairs and cleaned up, and then we’ll talk,” Chris tried to sound so soothing. He cupped my face in his hands, turning it upwards so I could see him.
“I don’t want to go downstairs. I never want to go down there again!” I cried. “I want to know about Phillip. If he’s not dead where is he? What have you done to him?” I sounded desperate. In a way I suppose I was. Phillip had given me hope. I thought he was dead. If he was alive then I had reason to hope again.
“He was hit in the arm. I had Simon take him home,” Chris softly said. His eyes appeared truthful. He let go of me and I backed away, right into David who was standing behind me and I didn’t see him.
“I don’t believe you,” I whispered. I couldn’t move with David behind me and Chris in front of me. “I don’t believe you,” I couldn’t stop the tears. “You’re just saying that so I’ll cooperate. I don’t believe you!” I screamed. I raised my fists to hit him again but David grabbed my wrists and stopped me. “LET GO OF ME!” I struggled against him. It was useless. David was really like Goliath he was so big.
“Take her downstairs and make sure she gets cleaned up. I’ll be down later,” Chris turned and left the room.
I fell against David crying. He held my wrists crossed in front of me. His sweet, musky scent filling my nostrils as I shook in his arms. David drug me to the stairs and almost flung me down them. I paid no attention to the specifics of the house, maybe I should have. My only concern was getting away from David before he turned his wrath on me. At the door to my room I stopped and David was right behind me. He shoved me in so forcefully I fell against the bed. By the time I turned around he was locking me in.
CHAPTER 3
I was in hell again. How I detested this room, this house, this entire existence. Knowing there was no way out now I sighed heavily, glanced at the intercom and considered pressing the button once more. Deciding against that, I went to the bathroom and started the shower. Chris had left a dress on the bed for me. He always chose my clothes, when he allowed me to wear any that is. Always dresses, flattering but nothing underneath. His choice of clothing for me provided easy access for them. The simple dresses were made of lightweight material and did nothing to protect from the temperatures. That’s probably why he chose them. Why he even bothered with clothes when I was not permitted out of this room seemed a waste of time.
As the hot water poured over me, I recalled being in the crevice. Why had I fallen asleep? Why didn’t I run when I had the chance? Instead of dwelling on that I remembered what I had been dreaming about.
**************************************
I was on the floorboard. Ben was talking to Rico asking him not to say anything about me. I felt the car stop and heard Ben get out. He was talking to someone. They laughed and everything sounded ok. Ben spoke to someone asking them to let Rico out. I could barely hear them talking but I could tell things had taken a turn for the worse and were not going as planned. I heard a gun cock.
“You brought someone else here? Ben?” A man said.
“It wasn’t deliberate. She needed help. I couldn’t just leave her there. She hasn’t seen anything and I’m sure she won’t say a word,” Ben explained nervously.
Someone was coming to the car. The door opened. I felt the barrel of the gun at the back of my head. My heart stopped momentarily. I had just escaped hell only to fall into a new level of it? Terrified of what might happen I listened and did as I was told.
“Put your hands where I can see them. Don’t look at me. Get out of the car and keep your back turned,” a man commanded me. I complied, terrified of what I had just gotten into. Could this be worse than what I had just gotten out of? The gun barrel never left contact with my head. I got out and raised my hands in the air.
“She’s not a threat to you,” Ben said. Out of the corner of my eye I could see a gun pointed at his face. His gun was gone. Rico was laughing. I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer.
“Who is she?” The British accent asked.
“She’s the Internet queen. You know the one I told you about a few weeks ago,” Rico stated.
“What are you talking about Rico?” British accent asked again.
“There’s a website that shows her in all sorts of fun. I think she likes it to tell you the truth,” Rico smirked.
“Why is she so filthy?” British accent asked. I still had my eyes closed. If I could get out of this it would be a miracle.
“She escaped her captors and I found her fleeing from them. That’s why she’s with me,” Ben piped in.
“What’s your name girl?” British accent asked. The gun poked the back of my head. I was trembling and terrified.
“Taylor, sir,” I said quietly without opening my eyes. “Please, sir I didn’t mean to be here. I just want to go home.”
“Turn around and look at me,” British accent demanded. I did as I was told. The gun still at the back of my head. “Open your eyes,” the voice commanded and I obeyed.
“Please sir, if they find me they’ll do terrible things to me,” I was interrupted by Rico.
“Yeah I love watching you misbehave,” he bragged. Rico had the look of a gangster. His head was shaved, he was covered in tattoos and his speech revealed his lack of education.
“You’re trembling. Why are you so afraid of me?” British accent asked. He was so handsome and his voice so soothing I relaxed a little.
“There’s a gun to my head,” I stated. “I just escaped a man who has held me captive for a very long time. I’m afraid he’ll find me. All I want is to go home and be safe,” I looked down hoping I had not just made the situation worse.
“Take her inside and get her a blanket. Get her something to drink as well,” he ordered. Then gun was lowered and the man behind me took me by the arm and led me into the house. As the door closed I heard arguing. Then I heard a gunshot. I jumped and let out a little scream. The man came from behind me and wrapped a blanket around me.
“It’s all right ma’am. Please, sit down,” he pointed to a couch. Terrified, I followed his direction. He was a large man, not handsome; there were scars on his face. He handed me a glass of bourbon.
“This’ll warm you up,” he said as he sat across from me on a chair. “My name’s Simon.”
I was too terrified to speak. I sipped the bourbon as the door opened and the men came in. British accent came over and sat next to me. Rico went into another part of the house. Others stood like sentries around the room.
“My name is Phillip. My home is your home. No one will hurt you here,” Simon brought him a glass of bourbon. “Simon, please open up Sarah’s room and have Maria set out some food for our guest,” he looked at me as if this were the most normal thing happening. Simon left.
I couldn’t speak; I was still trembling from both the cold and the fear. Phillip sipped his drink. I studied his face. His dusty blonde hair framed his face with a days growth of beard that needed shaved. His eyes were a very intense shade of green. I looked down at his hands, they looked soft and gentle.
“Don’t fret over Ben. He was a dirty cop. He would have left here and taken you right back to where you just left. I couldn’t allow that to happen. Right now they don’t know where you are. Let’s keep it that way,” Phillip stood and offered his hand. “Please, come. You can get cleaned up and change clothes.”
I cautiously took his hand and he led me upstairs. He took me into a very beautiful room with a wall full of windows. He let my hand go and walked to the windows. He closed the drapes. He was very handsome, polite and well dressed. What would he have to do with the likes of someone like Rico I wondered as I watched him cautiously.
“This was my ex-wife’s room. It’s yours while you’re here,” Phillip opened a door. “This was her closet. There are many clothes still in there and you are about the same size as she was. Choose anything you like,” he came back over to me and softly said, “I give you my word that you are safe here. Simon will stay with you to make sure of that. You take care of yourself and I’ll come back shortly,” his thick British accent was almost hypnotic. I believed him. I watched as he left the room.
“I’ll wait just outside the door, ma’am. If you need anything just ask. The restroom is just over there,” he said as he pointed to a double door across the room by the windows.
“Thank you,” I said quietly, not sure what to make of this situation. I went over to the doors as Simon went out of the room leaving the door open. I could see him standing guard. I felt safe, but what was happening? What would happen? I walked into the bathroom and it took my breath away. It was a suite in itself. A raised garden tub, a separate shower area, a dressing table with an entry to the closet and tons of care items that looked new and unopened. I looked in the closet. It was full of brand new clothes, all designer. I chose a simple pajama outfit and underwear. I haven’t worn underwear in so long I’ve forgotten how they feel. I laid everything on the dressing table and started the shower. I felt a little like Alice in Wonderland I suppose. I had fled hell and fell into a safe haven. Soon I would be home I prayed.
After the shower, I dressed and applied some fragrance. I was sitting at the dressing table looking at all of the combs when Phillip appeared behind me. He had tears in his eyes. I chose a comb and lifted it to my hair.
“May I?” He asked. “Sarah used to love it when I combed her hair.” A tear slowly slid down his cheek as I said nothing but offered him the comb. He was so gentle. He knew how to handle hair and the tangles so they did not pull. I was still terrified, not knowing if I would be captive here or safe. The trembling had finally stopped thankfully. My hair was long so the process took a while. When it was done he laid the comb back on the table and kneeled at my side. He took my hands from my lap into his hands and looked into my eyes.
“Rico showed me the website,” with that the tears formed in my eyes. “You have nothing to fear in my home. When I think about what they have done to you it makes me angry,” he looked down then back to me. “You’ll be safe here,” he still had my hands in his as he stood up. His hands were soft and strong and I wanted to believe him. I knew Chris would stop at nothing to find me. I stood as well. “Are you hungry?” Phillip asked.
“Famished actually,” I didn’t want to let go of his hands. What was it about them that made me believe there was safety here? He took one hand and began across the room. It was then that I realized just how badly I had hurt my feet. I could barely step without wincing. Phillip stopped and looked down questioningly. He scooped me into his arms and carried me to a settee. There he set me gently down and knelt in front of me.
“Let me see,” he said as he lifted my foot and examined it. “Simon. Please come in here,” he commanded and Simon appeared out of nowhere. “I need the first aid kit and the slippers from Sarah’s closet.” Simon left to get the items. I must have been in some sort of shock because all I could do was look at him. “You went through hell to get out of there didn’t you?” His eyes were still cloudy with tears.
“Yes,” I whispered. “Why are you helping me?” Why was he helping me when it would have been easier for him just to take me back to Chris and be done with this whole thing? “You know he’ll come looking for me,” I said as fear edged my voice.
“When I first saw you get out of the car, I knew something terrible had happened to you. I knew you needed help and I also knew Ben would not give it to you,” Simon returned with the first aid kit and Phillip began attending to the cuts on my feet. “I could see the fear in your eyes. I have never seen anything so intense in my life,” I winced as he applied the antiseptic and iodine. “Rico showed me the website. There’s nothing live at the moment, but he pulled up the archives,” he wrapped gauze around my feet tenderly. “I saw that man, I saw you shoot him and how terrified you were,” he slipped my foot into a slipper and began treating my right foot. “How long were you there before you escaped?”
I didn’t know how to answer. I just realized that I had no idea how long I’d been there. I didn’t even know where “there” was. I answered honestly and timidly. “I don’t know. When he took me it was summer. It seems like I’ve been there forever,” I looked away, ashamed that he had seen what I had endured.
“I’ll have Chip look at the time stamps and see if we can clear up some of that for you, ok?” Phillip assured as he began wrapping my foot.
“Who’s Chip?” I felt a little more at ease. Conversation is nothing to be afraid of.
“Chip is my computer genius on staff. He helped design the security system here and can do just about anything with a computer,” he gently slipped my foot into the slipper. “I think it might be best to stay off those for a few days. I’ll have your meals brought up to you,” he turned to Simon and said, “Have Maria bring her a tray.” Simon left. Phillip turned back to me.
“You should come to see Chip first though,” he looked a little angry. “Tell me about the implants he put in you.”
I could feel my face turn red. How did he know about those? “How?” I began. He put a finger to my lips.
“It’s on that horrid website. I saw how he implanted them. I saw the demonstration. It’s so cruel!” He declared.
“I don’t recall him putting them in. I woke up in a basement room that had been made into an exam room. Chris was there and explained the implants to me. He demonstrated them. It was very painful. I can tell you they work at a distance but I don’t know the range,” I said slowly. Phillip stood and picked me up.
“Let’s see what Chip can do about them,” he carried me out of the room and to a small elevator. We rode it to the first floor and went into a remote part of the house. Simon was there. Phillip placed me on a chair.
“Taylor, this is Chip,” he introduced us. Chip was a typical computer geek. Glasses, skinny, surrounded by computers and even with company present he seemed distracted by his display screens.
“Nice to meet you,” he said barely looking at me. “Someone’s coming up the drive,” he said to Phillip. I could feel the fear creeping up my spine. It was Chris. I knew it was. Phillip saw my fear and came to me.
“I give you my word that he will never know that you’re here,” Phillip assured me. I began trembling. How could all of this have happened in one day? I got away. I was safe. How could Chris come and take me away now? I did not want to go back. I watched the monitor as the car crept up the long and winding driveway. It didn’t seem to be in much of a hurry.
“If he, if he activates the implants he’ll, he’ll know I’m here,” I stammered. I saw the car on the security monitor. It still had a good distance to come before arriving.
“Well then, Chip I think you have your work cut out for you. We can’t remove them but maybe you can deactivate them. I must go and meet him. I’ll return as soon as I can,” Phillip stood up to leave. “Simon, don’t leave her. Shoot him if you have to but do not allow her to be harmed,” and with that Phillip left.
“Yes sir,” Simon looked back at me. Chip was pecking away at his keyboard. “What can we do Chip?”
“Well, first I am going to try to isolate the frequency and attempt to override the programming. It’ll take a few minutes,” Chip never looked up.
“Simon,” I said with a little urgency.
“Yes,” he squatted in front of me and looked at me with concern in his eyes.
“If he gets close enough to activate the implants I’ll need your help,” tears formed in my eyes. “They’re very painful. I won’t be able to keep from crying out. I’ll need your help to,” I wiped away a tear from my cheek. “Keep quiet. He can’t hear me. Please don’t let him hear me. Promise me that you will do whatever you have to, to keep me quiet,” I was crying. I was scared that Chris would find me. I wanted to believe that Chip could help and Simon could protect me but it was difficult. I feared what Chris would do if he found me here.
“It won’t come to that,” Simon did not sound so sure.
“Promise me. If he finds me…,” I couldn’t finish I was sobbing too hard.
“Whatever it takes. You have my word,” Simon stood up and went to Chip. “How’s it going?”
“It hasn’t located the frequency yet. We may have to wait for it to go live. I have located a frequency coming from the car in the driveway and I’m trying to isolate it,” Chip kept pecking away at his keyboard. “Any idea what the range of the device is?”
”THIS CLOSE!” I shouted as I felt the first sting of the implants. “Noooooooo. Please!” I took a deep breath, “Simon, the closer he gets the worse it will get. Do whatever it takes please don’t let him find me I beg you,” tears coursed down my face from the pain as I watched him.
“You have my word that he’ll never know you’re here,” he turned to Chip. “Can you stop them?” He said with urgency. He appeared almost frantic.
Chip came over and pointed something at me. I was too busy taking deep breaths to fight the pain to care. I closed my eyes and prayed.
“Where is he now?” I heard Simon ask.
“In the house,” Chip responded still typing. “Damn I can’t get a lock on the implants.”
“Try harder,” Simon urged.
“Simon. Simon. It’s time. He’s closer. It hurts,” I was biting my lip to keep from crying out. My hands were clenching the chair arms so tightly that my knuckles were white. My nipples felt like a knife was being run into them. My vagina felt worse. I felt Simon take my hand.
“Here squeeze my hand,” he offered a handkerchief for me to bite on. I took it and bit hard. I was groaning in pain.
“SHIT!” Chip exclaimed and rushed to a wall where a door opened. “In here quick, they’re coming down the hall!” Simon carried me in and laid me on the floor. Chip left and the door closed. I could hear Phillip and Chris talking to Chip. The pain increased. Simon put his hand over my mouth.
“Shhh,” he whispered. “I’m sorry to do this but he’s right outside. Shhh. I wish I could make it better,” he looked like he was about to cry.
The pain was so intense I was writhing on the floor. Simon was doing his best to keep me quiet. I could hear nothing. All I was aware of was the pain. When I thought I was going to pass out it just stopped. My body went slack. I hadn’t noticed that I was sweating. Simon took the hanky from my mouth.
“Are you ok?” He whispered urgently. I was so exhausted that I couldn’t speak. I tried to nod but I’m not sure if I actually did. He kept his word I thought thankfully and passed out.
CHAPTER 4
***************************************
Back to reality. I shut the water off and got out of the shower. As I dried off I wondered what Chris would do to me. I went to the dressing table where Chris had left a pretty, light blue, poet’s dress. In any other setting the dress would have been romantic. It looked vulgar here. I put it on and sat down to comb my hair. I remembered how gently Phillip had combed my hair and sighed. Would I ever get out of here? Was I doomed to be Chris’s play thing forever? Before I got up the door opened. It was Chris. He looked serious and angry. How I hated him now. He had changed so much and I hated being anywhere near him.
“You know there has to be punishment for what you did,” he looked stern at me. He had those damn zip ties in his hand. I loathed those zip ties. I found it hard to believe that something as simple as a piece of plastic could so effectively bind me.
“What did I do wrong? You lock me up and it’s only natural for me to want freedom. I hate it here!” I spat at him. “You may keep me here. You may do terrible things to me. But I will NEVER love you,” I smiled defiantly. Instantly I realized I shouldn’t have. He slapped me hard across the face knocking me to the floor.
“Maybe not. But you’ll always be mine,” he sneered and grabbed my wrists. I didn’t struggle. What was the point. He would do to me what he wanted whether I fought or not. He used the zip ties to secure a short chain between my wrists. He secured it to the “bracelets” they had made for me. He did the same to my ankles. The chain between my wrists was about a foot long, the one between my ankles a little longer. Both made moving difficult. “You’ll wear these until you can prove me to me that your running days are over,” he took the chain between my wrists and pulled me to my feet.
“I hate you,” I stated angrily. I pulled away from him.
“I have a surprise for you. So you can see I didn’t lie to you, Phillip will be online shortly and you can chat with him. I’m not uncaring. I know he means something to you. I won’t be back tonight. Rest, you have a long day tomorrow,” with that he left and locked the door behind him. I was angry. I hated the restraints. They make me feel so helpless. I hated the zip ties worse. He made sure there was nothing I could use to cut them off. I looked at the computer, then to all the cameras around the room and wondered if the site was live again. I sat at the chair in front of the computer and waited. There were times I wished that computer didn’t exist. Chris fed everything that happened to me to the Internet. People viewing his horrid website could see everything. Sometimes Chris allowed viewers to chat. I never replied to the chat windows that came up on the screen. They had no care about me so I had nothing to say to them. I often wondered why no one had traced the IP address and come for me.
It wasn’t long and the chat window popped up. I could see Phillip. He looked tired.
“Taylor. Oh Taylor I was so worried about you. Are you all right?” How that accent soothed me.
“I’m all right. Are you? I saw you get shot,” I was so relieved he was talking to me. “I couldn’t find the gate. I think I went the wrong way,” I wanted to pour my heart out to him.
“It’s ok. It just grazed me. Nothing serious. A few aspirin and a band aid fixed it right up,” he paused and looked at me intently. “Do you remember the movie we watched? The one you liked so well?” He asked seriously.
“I think so,” I tried to remember, we had watched quite a few.
“The one we watched over and over again,” he went on.
“Yes,” I did remember. “Why?”
“Do you trust me?” He asked.
“You know I do,” I was concerned. Something was wrong.
“I will come for you,” he said simply. Then I understood. In the movie the hero said that to his love. Even death did not stop him. His friends brought him back to life and he came for her. I smiled, understanding what he meant.
“I will never doubt again,” I quoted from the movie. He relaxed and smiled.
“Good. No matter what happens remember that. I want to tell you something,” he seemed to shy a little. It was something I liked about him.